Abuse

It is a violation of State law to beat or needlessly kill an animal, or to treat it in an inhumane manner. Such abuses are punishable by fine and/or imprisonment. To report instances of abuse, cruelty, or neglect or for more information regarding animal care, please call the Livermore Police Department Animal Control at 371-4848. Livermore Animal Control encourages citizens to report possible cases of abuse. We investigate all reported cases of abuse.

How to recognize signs of abuse:

The link to violent behavior

According to a 1997 study done by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Northeastern University, animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people and four times more likely to commit property crimes than are individuals without a history of animal abuse.

Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology during the last 25 years have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. The FBI has recognized the connection since the 1970s, when its analysis of the lives of serial killers suggested that most had killed or tortured animals as children. Other research has shown consistent patterns of animal cruelty among perpetrators of more common forms of violence, including child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse.